Total solar eclipses are rare events on Earth that captivate spectators and provide scientists with valuable opportunities to study the sun. Now, the European Space Agency is launching dual spacecraft named Proba-3 from India in hopes of creating artificial solar eclipses to study the sun’s corona. By flying in precise formation, one spacecraft will block the sun from the other, allowing for extended observations of the mysterious outer layer of the sun. The spacecraft will be launched on an Indian rocket and will take about four months to reach their orbital destination. Once in orbit, the spacecraft will create an artificial eclipse mimicking a natural solar eclipse and will allow for six hours of uninterrupted study time during each orbit. The mission is expected to last two years and aims to unravel the mysteries of the sun’s corona, including its high temperature and the phenomena of coronal mass ejections. The Proba-3 mission is part of a series of ESA missions that includes Earth observation and sun observing satellites. Ultimately, the goal of the mission is to better understand the sun, its corona, and the impact of space weather on Earth.
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Here’s Why 2 Spacecraft Aim to Create ‘Solar Eclipses on Demand’
